malthusian

IPA/mælˈθjuːziən/
IPA/mælˈθuːʒn/

malthusian — adjective

  • malthusianpositive
  • more malthusiancomparative
  • most malthusiansuperlative

1. connected to the ideas of Thomas Malthus, who argued that people reproduce faste

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

connected to the ideas of Thomas Malthus, who argued that people reproduce faster than they can produce food, so that without limits on population growth, widespread hunger and suffering are unavoidable

Example

Yael's economics paper examined whether modern famines follow a Malthusian pattern.

Malthusian pattern — noun after the adjective

Critics say that Malthusian predictions ignore how farming technology has increased food supplies.

Malthusian predictions — common collocation in academic debate

Common collocations
  • Malthusian theory
  • Malthusian crisis
  • Malthusian trap
  • Malthusian view
  • Malthusian logic
  • Malthusian fears
  • Malthusian predictions
  • Malthusian scenario
Synonyms
  • neo-Malthusian

    refers to a modern version of Malthus's ideas, often applied to environmental concerns

  • population-related

    much broader — covers any demographic topic, not specifically Malthus's theory

Grammar Patterns

Malthusian + noun

Usage Note

Always capitalised because it derives from a proper name (Thomas Malthus). Used only before a noun — you cannot say 'this theory is very Malthusian' as a gradable adjective.

Common Mistakes

Malthusian theory is about general population statistics.
Malthusian theory is about the relationship between population growth and food supply.
Malthusian theory is a specific idea, not about all population data.
Darwin was influenced by Malthusian.
Darwin was influenced by Malthusian theory.
Malthusian is an adjective, not a noun. The noun form is 'Malthusianism'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Malthusian refers specifically to Thomas Malthus's original theory about population growth outpacing food supply, and is associated with predictions of famine and disaster. Neo-Malthusian extends these ideas to modern environmental issues such as resource depletion and climate change, often with a stronger focus on policy solutions. Demographic is a neutral, factual term about population size, structure, and statistics — it carries no theory or prediction. For example, a 'demographic study' simply counts people by age and region, whereas a 'Malthusian study' would argue that rapid growth in those numbers threatens food security.

Malthusian ↗neo-Malthusian ↗demographic ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Englishproper name (Malthus)

Named after Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834), an English economist who argued in his 1798 work 'An Essay on the Principle of Population' that human population grows geometrically while food production grows only arithmetically, inevitably leading to famine unless growth is checked.